Nearly two months after a fire destroyed the building that housed Papa J’s in Carnegie, the restaurant’s owner is considering whether to rebuild the business, which had been a popular dining spot for nearly 30 years.
Bridgeville was mentioned as a potential new Papa J’s location when owner Michael Troiani spoke with the Pittsburgh Business Times’ Tim Schooley earlier this week [paywall]:
Along with considering a variety of options to re-establish what was a 300-seat restaurant in other neighboring buildings in Carnegie, Troiani said he’s also considering prospects to move Papa J’s to another community. Options include Bridgeville, Ligonier, where his family has long owned property, as well as a new development plan for the one-acre surface parking lot he owns on 23rd Street between Smallman Street and Penn Avenue in the Strip District.
This is all highly speculative, of course. Schooley notes that Pittsburgh’s restaurant boom could make Downtown or the Strip District the leading contenders, if Papa J’s returns at all. But opening a restaurant in the quickly changing Downtown/Strip District scene presents unique risks and challenges.
A Papa J’s in Bridgeville would join a small, but lively food scene that already boasts a few destination restaurants, plus the borough borders larger and affluent suburbs like Collier, Upper St. Clair, and the ever-growing South Fayette Township.